IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have announced a series of initiatives aimed at reducing its waste footprint and promoting sustainable practices guided by the company’s 10-year responsible business plan, ‘Journey to Tomorrow’.
The Dubai Festival City cluster has recently completed the installation of its automated Nordaq glass bottling plant. This move aims to reduce water wastage and reduction of single use plastics by utilizing reusable glass bottles and offer water produced through the in-house water treatment and bottling operations. This is a significant milestone, allowing the hotels to replace single-use water bottles in all their rooms and suites, preventing the disposal of about 2 million bottles within a year. This initiative also extends to the hotels’ restaurants and conference facilities where filtered water has already been served in carafes since 2019.
The hotel cluster has now partnered with Swedish company, Nordaq, a leader in the water bottling industry. The sustainably produced water has been described as the ‘purest tasting water’ by some of the best chefs and sommeliers around the world, as the Nordaq patented filtration system turns tap water impurity-free all while preserving healthful minerals, ensuring premium quality and natural taste.
“IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have a long-standing commitment to adopting sustainable operating practices and minimizing waste impact. This new bottling facility has been specifically created to provide guests with fresh, premium water in both the rooms and restaurants. As a result of phasing out plastic bottles from operation on an annual basis, we are safeguarding the environment in support of the Dubai Can initiative and the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) program. Our goal is to help shape the future of responsible travel together with those who stay, work and partner with us,” said Thomas Schmelter, Area General Manager IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City.
The latest endeavour of IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City also seeks to contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint by restricting the transportation of bottled water from overseas.
“These sustainable initiatives demonstrate our unwavering commitment to prioritising sustainability in our operations. We believe that every small change adds up to a big difference. We hope that our initiatives will inspire other hotels and businesses to follow in our footsteps and embrace sustainable practices,” added Franz Kupka, Operations Manager at InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City, who has overseen the project.
“Nordaq, is a sustainability company focusing on eliminating single used plastic. To transport water over water is one of the most illogical things we can do. We automatically shrink our own source and make it harder to get clean water because we pollute the soil. For us, it´s about making a difference and changing a market, making people aware so they can see the consequences of their actions. Nordaq provides, in my opinion, the world’s most innovative and effective water solution for superior taste and less waste. I hope as Franz Kupka mentioned that this initiative will inspire other hotels and businesses to follow in our water footsteps and continue to embrace sustainable practices,” says Johanna Mattsson, CEO of Nordaq.
In addition to the bottling plant, IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have implemented a range of measures across its four properties to reduce its waste output further and promote sustainability. One of the most significant changes is the replacement of plastic key cards with eco-friendly, biodegradable wooden ones. This initiative aims to save an estimated 120,000 plastic cards per year. The cluster has also eliminated bathroom miniatures in favour of larger-size amenities to minimize single-use items, reducing 620,000 miniatures annually.
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